Each and every week the Square Holes team are deep in the bowels of a number of projects, working to mine all of the insights that we can to help grow businesses and support thriving cities.

Businesses and organisations use these insights to innovate their offerings, move into new markets, track their impact, and hone their products and output. Each week we will be sharing a broad insight that we have learnt for you to use in your own work.

Let us know what you find valuable!

Dylan: Recognising ourselves in each other

This week I’ve been thinking (and writing) about brands and belonging. Some brands do more than meet a functional need – they become a signal of identity, helping people express who they are and who they feel connected to. An interesting tension at the heart of this is the idea that we want to belong, but we don’t want to disappear into the crowd. The strongest brand communities seem to balance both, giving people enough shared identity to feel part of something while still leaving room for individuality. Belonging isn’t just about making everyone feel the same; it’s about creating enough shared meaning for people to recognise themselves in each other.

Mahalia: Symbols of belonging

I run a specialised book club, and a little while back, as a fundraising mission, I created a bunch of small leather key rings for people in the group to purchase. These little mementos help us to recognise each other out and about at public events but also feel like the secret society/club tokens of our youth. They also help us to recognise ‘our people’. Brands can be similar. For example, we might make assumptions about someone wearing Patagonia clothing – that they are outdoorsy, adventurous, and a risk taker, and potentially the type of person you want to get to know if you have similar interests. These little symbols of belonging come attached with narratives and feelings.

Jason: Missing the chaos

I’ve had a few conversations of late about people feeling heavy. Not fat, but that life is so hectic, with kids, or just work. The news, everything, and throw in a challenging economy, it can sometimes feel like too much.

It can be a theme across our research, with tears becoming more common in our focus groups. While it’d be nice for things to be less hectic, often the chaotic times can be the most interesting.

When the hectic times are done, and kids don’t need their parents as much or retirement hits, life can get boring. The phone rings less, and there are fewer fires to put out, which surprisingly can be missed.

I’ve got good friends who’ve reached that time of feeling less needed and, as a result, have become quite depressed. They miss running a business, solving complexities and, on reflection, smashing it. And the times when the kids were cute and needed you.

At the time it can seem impossible, even implausible, but embracing the interesting, easing the panic and stress, and leaning in may be better than longing for it all to prematurely end.

At the simpliest level rather than complaining about the challenges of raising children, embrace it, these are the good days.

Square Holes is a cultural insight studio.

We design mixed method explorations of people and culture beyond the category,  uncovering the patterns, tensions and shifts shaping behaviour to inform strategy, inspire innovation and enable confident decisions. Our studio model brings together the right mix of thinkers, researchers and specialists for each exploration. If you’re navigating change, entering a new market, or seeking deeper understanding of people and culture, let’s start a conversation >